A few miles south of Crestone, Colorado, is this amazing park. In a classic “you can’t get there from here” way, it actually took us a little over an hour to drive back to the main road, head south, and then back towards the east and the Sangre de Cristo mountains. You could actually see the tops of the sand dunes (pictured below) from the top of the Ziggurat we walked to in Crestone.
What we found fascinating, among so many things at this park, is that it reminded us of snow drifts on our deck in Maine. Hear me out. When we get large snow drifts they don’t sit right next to the house. The winds bounce off the house and so the peaks of the drifts sit a distance out from the ‘wall’ that is the side of the house. So the Great Sand Dunes are whipped up by winds moving from the south and west across the San Luis Valley which pushes the granules into these spectacular dunes that sit a distance away from the base of the mountains.
We picked a good morning to go. It had been raining and the woman at the visitors center explained that this helps pack the sand and make it easier to cross. And so, interestingly, you can walk out and onto them any which way you want. It is a workout. In places it was packed and in other areas much like walking on a beach where the sand gives a bit. Soft on joints but climbing uphill at this elevation you certainly get some exercise.
There were a lot of folks out on the dunes, many with kids and dogs. The park rents boards for surfing or sand-boarding your say down and there were many groups doing this. One family group was picnicking at a low spot. On the ridges, there was lots of wind. The clouds cast shadows, the sunlight bounced, and just wow, what scenery.
And for those that might be starting to keep count, this is our second National Park on the trip – and yes, I placed a stamp in my Passport to the Parks.
